Looking at the worn-out pages of the manual, Logan didn't know what to think.
'Did the system pull this out of someone's garbage or what?' he thought, frowning at the ragged paper bundle.
It didn't look like something worth a hundred million dollars. Still, his curiosity got the better of him.
"I mean... it has to be some high-end Platinum Core technique at least, right?"
Flipping open the first page, Logan began to read.
Page 1
"If your Core has reached the Silver stage, then you're ready to study this technique.
This technique allows you to form wings made of pure flame from your back. These wings aren't just for show—they respond to your will and use your mana to lift your body into the air."
As he flipped through the pages, Logan was left speechless by the detailed instructions and hand-drawn illustrations on mana control.
Eventually, he reached the second stage of the technique.
Page 21
"At Gold Core, your wings evolve from a tool into a weapon.
Each feather becomes a blade of compressed flames. With focus, you can launch them at your enemies. Fast, sharp, and deadly."
Thirty pages later, Logan found the third stage of the technique.
Logan blinked. 'And I'm only halfway through the manual... Does this mean it goes up to Diamond Core too?'
He skimmed through the Platinum Core section, flipping another thirty pages, then paused.
'It says this is the final stage... but there's still over a third of the book left.'
Confused, Logan flipped to the next page and immediately noticed something was off.
The writing was different. It wasn't structured anymore; instead, it looked like it had been scribbled down as quickly as possible.
"There are even ink stains in the middle of sentences," Logan observed. "And what are these burn marks around the page?"
Flipping to the next page, Logan narrowed his eyes.
Only two lines were written in the center, with dark ink splatters around them.
"This isn't the limit," Logan read, confusion spreading over his face. "Why stop at wings when the entire body can become fire itself?"
"What the hell is this...?" Logan frowned.
He flipped to the next page. The handwriting looked even more rushed, with text spread out all over the page. Some had multiple sentences in a row, while others were just one-line observations.
But one thing stood out.
"Flaming Body Technique," he read aloud. "Stage 1: Bronze Core requirement."
"What do we have here..." Logan muttered, his eyes scanning the page.
Logan laid down on his couch, holding the manual in one hand as he continued reading. The handwriting was messy, but still readable if he focused on it.
"Start by circulating fire mana in your body. Don't let any of it escape to the outside. Let it flow through the muscles, the veins, the marrow. Let it burn you."
He raised an eyebrow.
'So this starts at Bronze Core?' Logan thought, flipping to the next page.
The next few pages were dedicated to different supposed stages from the Flaming Body Technique. Logan noticed each stage became more and more vague.
Logan turned another page.
"Stage 5... unsure."
"The flame no longer wraps the body. It replaces it, piece by piece. I can't feel my left hand anymore, but it still moves."
"My Core still reads as Diamond... yet something feels different. Lighter and brighter. I can feel a strange reaction from my fire affinity, as if it wants to break free."
"But this place... this place isn't normal. I've gone too far."
Logan's eyes narrowed.
'What does he mean with his core is still reading as Diamond?' Logan wondered. 'There shouldn't be a level beyond Diamond Core, at least, not unless the government is hiding it again.'
'I should ask Silas later,' Logan thought, nodding. 'I don't know if I can take this seriously anyway. At this point, it just seems like a delirious madman scribbling stuff down.'
The entries from this point grew shorter. Pages were torn. Some sections were crossed out or written over in different ink.
'There are only a few pages left,' Logan thought. 'Might as well read to the end of it.'
He flipped through two more pages.
"The walls are gone. The sky reappeared."
"I've really gone too far down."
"This isn't a dungeon. It's an entrance."
He flipped the page.
"There's something here... stronger than all of us."
"The rest of the team is dead."
"I couldn't protect my team... even with my SSS-rank affinity."
"I don't know why I'm still writing. By the time people find this, it'll be too late."
Logan felt a chill roll down his spine.
"Who would've thought... a world beneath ours."
"Mana doesn't behave the same here."
"I couldn't leave."
"So I kept training."
"And now... I see the fire."
Flipping to the final page, Logan's hairs stood on end.
"Today will be my final entry."
"My breakthrough failed, but I will fight with my life to kill that creature."
"Maybe then I can return home to my family."
That was it.
There was no next page.
Logan closed the manual slowly, staring at the cover.
He wasn't sure what to believe.
'An SSS-rank user... dead.'
'A deeper world beneath the dungeons? A being strong enough to wipe out a squad led by an SSS-rank?'
It all sounded insane.
But something about it just made him think otherwise. Not just the words, but the way the writing fell apart. The desperation. The countless unfinished thoughts and sentences.
If it was fake, it was a damn convincing one.
'I don't know if any of it's real... but I'd be a fool not to test it.'
Even if the final stages were nonsense, the front half alone was already worth the money.
He let out a breath and leaned back on the couch.
"Just the Platinum technique would go for thirty million on the open market," he muttered. "With everything in here? Even if it's half-finished, I got a bargain."
His gaze fell on the system cooldown, which had been set to a five-day timer.
"I'll start small," he said, nodding. "Stage one of the Flaming Body. If it works... I'll take it seriously."
His fingers tightened around the manual.
"If it doesn't?" Logan shrugged. "Then it's just an overpriced Platinum technique book."